The Crusader (1932) Online

Fascinating little pre-Coder about the law and hypocrisy as seen by the crusader, a district attorney (H.B. Warner) who is hard as nails where the law is concerned.

The story opens with the execution of the woman who killed a man while "defending her honor." The DA points points out that the woman was a tramp but in any case murder is murder. But a nosy reporter (Ned Sparks) digs up some info on the DA's wife (Evelyn Brent) and her past as a speakeasy hostess in New York.

Into the mix comes the DA's sister (Marceline Day) who is dating a stranger. But both Brent and Sparks recognize him as a gangster from New York. At a local club run by Lew Cody (a former boyfriend of Brent's) the gangster brings the naive sister and attacks her in a private dining room. The irony here is that the sister kills a man while defending her honor. Both Brent and Cody try to claim responsibility for the murder, but Warner isn't as dumb as everyone thinks.

Solid early talkie with good performances by all involved. Warner, Brent, and Sparks are standouts.

How can you go wrong spending 60 some odd minutes with the likes of Ned Sparks, Lew Cody, Marceline Day, and the empress of this type of early 30s film, Evelyn Brent? Make no mistake, this is a talking talkie, with very little active action (save Brent parking her DeSoto and tracking through brush to the secret entrance), but you won't notice. The dialogue crackles by, delivered with relish by every actor in the picture. You know what happens when the District Attorney decides he's going to do some house cleaning? Well, eventually, this big plan hits too close to his own home. Naturally, Our Miss Brent has a past. This seems to be of major importance to some, but typically, Brent hardly seems to raise an eyebrow of concern, yet goes through the motions for the sake of her husband, and her husband's randy sister, Marceline Day in a blonde wig and looking so thin she would surely win roles on many of today's popular television shows. The cast is having a swell time, with Walter Byron, Arthur Hoyt, and especially Ned Sparks delivering the goods. It is especially nice to watch the great Lew Cody looking and playing so well. Marceline Day gets a chance to be rather rotten and haughty before diving into more typical simpering Day territory, the difference here is that she asked for it this time! And who's gonna save her? Evelyn Brent is forced to step back into her past, which she wears like a gorgeous beaded gown, and she takes the bulls by their horns. Don't stand in this woman's way! [Brent's wardrobe is especially good in this one, too.] I hope you can find a copy of this gem, we saw a rare screening up at the annual Bay City/Saginaw show, and it was an audience favorite.

The gangster movie, along with the musical, was one of the great successes of the early talkies. The public flocked to hear racy vernacular, wise cracks and what they thought was a real life look into the lifestyle of a hood but with the

rise of real public enemies the censor cracked down on the glamorization of gangsters as depicted in the movies. By 1932 the gangster had disappeared as the main player in movies - whenever he did show up it was usually as a background player ("Scarface" bought them back into popularity). He was now taken over by journalists, gossip columnists and lawyers (crooked or otherwise) and in "The Crusader" (a very effective Majestic) Ned Sparks does a fantastic job of depicting a determined reporter.

In spite of a clichéd story it still had some very daring dialogue and situations - like the scene where Dale gives a prostitute $100 so she will ply her trade in another location and maybe go home to visit her mother; where Tess's past with Dale comes to light and she is described as being his live in lover. The movie also works by having some of the stars playing against type - not so much H.B. Warner who as D.A. Brandon, the Crusader of the title, a high minded puritan has crossed swords with Eddie Crane (hot damn, it's Ned Sparks!!) who is disgusted with his showing no mercy for the electrocution of a young girl for murder while defending her honour. Crane is determined to get some dirt on Brandon and a story falls right into his lap. Brandon's wife Tess is found to have a very shady past. Years before she was the sweetheart of night club owner Jim Dale who now runs a respectable place. Also thrown into the mix is Carson (Walter Byron), a notorious New York gangster, now masquerading as a respectable citizen and courting Brandon's sister Marsha (a blonde Marceline Day) who has no love for Tess. And when Carson shows his cave man tactics on Marsha (pretty hot and heavy even for a pre-code) she shows her disapproval - with a smoking gun!!

Evelyn Brent and Lew Cody for once get "good guy" roles, Brent as Tess is determined to shield Marsha by confessing she is "the girl in the booth" only to prevent her husband finding out about

his sister's playing around that would hurt him and Cody is Dale, ready to go to the electric chair to protect the woman he has never stopped loving. Brandon has an ace up his sleeve - he knows the mystery woman is his sister and has a new found admiration for a man who would give up his life to shield the D.A.'s family. And Ned Sparks - he has a much bigger role than usual and while he is described as unscrupulous and a muckraker, hey, it's Ned Sparks, how could you not think he's terrific!! He has some great scenes - like the one where he is describing the scene in a jury room as though he were relaying a prize fight and another involving a musical decanter (there are a lot of decanters in this movie) where his editor calls him "a bloody punk"!!

Really recommended!!

A scarce but typical "newspaper drama" so common in the early 1930s. If you can find it, watch it (if you can bare it) just for the sake of finding a rare film. I personally found this movie to be painfully boring. It is terribly uneven, and at times I just lost total interest. While it did have adequate performances by Lew Cody, Evelyn Brent, H.B. Warner and Ned Sparks, not even they could save this creaky, dismal crime drama from being one of the less appealing of the early talkie pre-code's. If you want to see a real good newspaper drama, make sure to be on the lookout for Turner Classic Movies to air the wonderful FIVE STAR FINAL with Edward G. Robinson. It's on from time to time and you won't be disappointed.